Letterman says he sees psychiatrist
Three years after an extortion scandal that led him to bare his infidelities, David Letterman said he sees a psychiatrist once a week to try to be the person that he believed he was.
The late-night talk show host gave an extraordinary interview to Oprah Winfrey in which he talked about his feud with her and Jay Leno, and about his efforts to make amends for his affairs with “Late Show” staff members that became public in 2009.
“For a long time I thought I was a decent guy,” Letterman said. “But yet, thinking I was a decent guy, I was still capable of behavior that wasn’t coincidental to leading a decent life. That’s what I’m working on. I want to really be the person I believe that I was.”
The interview aired Sunday on Winfrey’s OWN network and will be repeated Jan. 20. It was recorded in November.
Letterman said his wife, Regina, has forgiven him, and he tries every day to regain her trust. He said he still hasn’t forgiven himself.
Details of the affairs emerged after a television producer threatened to unveil them if Letterman didn’t give him money. The producer was later jailed for four months.
Winfrey interviewed Letterman for “Oprah’s Next Chapter” at Indiana’s Ball State University, after being interviewed publicly by Letterman before students at the CBS comic’s alma mater.
Fishburne granted restraining order
Laurence Fishburne has been granted a temporary restraining order against an ex-convict who claims to own the actor’s home and went there on New Year’s Day to try to evict him.
The order requires Anthony Francis, whose real name is Mark Francisco, to stay at least 100 yards from the Oscar-nominated actor and his wife and daughter.
Francisco was sentenced to serve two years in state prison on a cyberstalking conviction in 2010, and court records show he spent time in a state mental hospital for that case. Francisco went to the Oscar-nominated actor’s home Jan. 1 and told Fishburne’s wife that they were living there illegally. Police were called and they advised Fishburne to seek a restraining order, the court filings state.
Fishburne and his wife, Gina Torres Fishburne, an actress, have owned their home for 10 years, his filing states.
Fishburne starred in “The Matrix” series and was nominated for a best actor Academy Award in 1993 for “What’s Love Got to Do with It.”
The birthday bunch
Actor-comedian Larry Storch is 90. CBS newsman Charles Osgood is 80. Singer Shirley Bassey is 76. Game show host Bob Eubanks is 75. Physicist Stephen Hawking is 71. Rock musician Robby Krieger (The Doors) is 67. Rock singer David Bowie is 66. Reggae singer Sean Paul is 40. Actress-rock singer Jenny Lewis is 37. Actress Rachel Nichols is 33. Actress Gaby Hoffman is 31.